Iranian officials impudently talk about Bashar Assad’s debts and the bilateral treaties signed between Iran and his regime, assuming these accords are still valid and that the new government in Damascus will recognize them.
This came just hours after my interview with the Israeli TV channel i24News, broadcast simultaneously in English, Arabic, Hebrew and French. In the interview, I expressed our aspiration for a just peace with the State of Israel and proposed that the Iranian Embassy in Damascus be turned into an Israeli embassy, with the Israeli flag flying above it.
The Iranian regime has yet to understand that Syrians consider it the worst and biggest devil, viewing Iran as an enemy of Syria and its people—if not of all peoples in the region.
For Syrians, Iran remains Assad’s most prominent ally. The Iranian regime has pushed Assad to unleash extreme violence and brutality in cracking down on peaceful demonstrations since March 2011. Iran has supported Assad with military and security advisors and sent its proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Afghan, Pakistani, Yemeni and Iraqi militias. It has even deployed militants from the Polisario Front to fight alongside Assad. These Iranian proxies have played a direct role in killing and displacing Syrians, destroying their towns and villages in the process.
Iran bears legal, political, moral and economic responsibility for its involvement in the massacres, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Syria. Under no circumstances can any sane Syrian forgive these crimes committed by Iran and its proxies.
The Syrian people will never accept any form of normalization with Iran unless the following conditions are met:
- Iran must pay full compensation for all human and material losses to the Syrian state treasury, estimated at up to $500 billion.
- Iran must issue a formal apology to the Syrian state and people for all the crimes, massacres and violations committed by Iran and its terrorist gangs in Syria.
- Iran must formally pledge not to interfere in Syrian internal affairs.
- All leaders of Iranian militias must be handed over to the Syrian state for prosecution by Syrian courts.
If Iran were to meet all these conditions, political relations with Tehran would remain at the lowest level. However, as we are certain that the Iranian regime will never meet these conditions or cease its hostile policies against Syria and other Arab states, we demand the interim authority in Damascus to take immediate legal action without delay.
All Iranian real estate, possessions and moveable and immovable properties in Syria—including those registered under agents or firms of any nationality—should be confiscated. Additionally, properties and assets belonging to Iranian residents or those who obtained Syrian citizenship during the war must be seized and transferred to the Syrian state treasury as partial compensation for the damages Iran owes Syria.
The Syrian interim government should ban and dismantle all organizations and societies associated with or supported by Iran, regardless of whether they operate as charitable institutions or cultural and religious centers. Any Syrians involved in the malignant activities of these entities must be brought to justice. Furthermore, brokers who facilitated Iranian ownership, rental or purchase of any real estate or property must also face legal accountability.
The interim government in Damascus must take immediate action to ban entry for Iranians into Syrian territory and prohibit Syrian citizens from traveling to Iran. Syrian passports should include a note stating that the holder may travel to all countries except Iran. Religious tourism, particularly from Iraq, should also be banned.
By law, the Syrian state bears no responsibility for any legal or political consequences of agreements signed between Iran and Assad’s regime during the war. All such military, economic and political accords are deemed invalid, holding no weight beyond the ink used to sign them.
Iranian interests in Syria—whether direct or indirect—must be reduced to the absolute minimum and managed only through a third party. Moreover, any attempt by a Syrian entity to restore relations with the Iranian regime will prompt another revolution to overthrow any ruler complicit in such actions.
As Syrians, our issue lies with the Iranian regime, not the Iranian people, who themselves endure suffering under the same oppressive system as we had.
In 2018, I met an American official and a close friend who was highly enthusiastic about my project proposal, which I presented to Congress and the Senate under the title “Iran Accountability Act.” Today, this official, now closely associated with President-elect Donald Trump, is even more enthusiastic about the project.
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My proposal outlines Iran’s policies since 1979, detailing how they have consistently threatened the interests of the United States and its allies in the Middle East and North Africa. It highlights the crimes and massacres committed by Iran in Syria, including killing and displacing Syrians, destroying their towns and villages, and spreading terror, extremism and drugs. Iran has long considered the United States its primary enemy, promoting slogans such as “Death to America and Israel.”
Iran has exported terrorism, extremism, drugs, instability, violence and antisemitism by financing Afghan, Pakistani and Iraqi militias, as well as terrorist groups like Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other Palestinian organizations. This support culminated in the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023.
Iran also hosts leaders of al-Qaeda, is accelerating its nuclear program and has repeatedly targeted Israel. Iran has become a real threat to the vital strategic interests, security and stability of the United States and its allies.
Today, with Hezbollah's leadership neutralized, much of its military capability destroyed and the fall of Assad’s brutal regime, the world has witnessed the extent of the horrors, atrocities and destruction caused by Assad’s rule in Syria. The global community has also seen the direct threats to Israel and the economic and financial toll inflicted on the nation since October 7, 2023.
All these happened because Iran has directed its terrorist proxies—Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias—to attack Israel and destabilize the Middle East. The collective losses in Syria, Israel and Lebanon, along with the damages to U.S. interests, underscore the urgency of enacting the “Iran Accountability Act.”
This proposed legislation has gained momentum and attention in the United States and other Western countries, particularly following the recent severe sanctions imposed on Iran by France, Germany and others.
Fahad Almasri Photo: CourtesyAs forthcoming strikes target Iran’s nuclear program and its regional dominance in Iraq and Yemen in the broader context of the fight against terror, extremism and antisemitism, the U.S. must no longer turn a blind eye to Iran’s policies as a state sponsor of extremism and terrorism.
Iranian oil exports should be strictly limited to programs such as “oil for food” and “oil for reconstruction and compensation,” with funds allocated specifically to Syria and Israel for human losses and the widespread destruction caused. Additionally, the United States should receive compensation for damages to its strategic interests.
Iran’s assets, properties and funds—including movable and immovable properties in the Middle East and Europe—should be confiscated, as they have been instrumental in promoting terrorism and extremism worldwide. These confiscated funds should be redirected to the victims of Iran’s policies.
To dry up all the financial resources fueling terrorism and unchecked support to Lebanon, stern and effective measures must be implemented to place these funds under strict international oversight, akin to the financial monitoring applied to the Palestinian Authority.
Through global collaboration, Iran should be compelled to pay comprehensive compensation for all damages and losses caused since 1979. The Iranian regime must pay dearly for its crimes against states and peoples in the region.
- Fahad Almasri is president of the National Salvation Front in Syria.